In a policy that honors the thousands of Filipinos who bravely enlisted to fight for the United States in World War II, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS ) has announced that they will allow entry to those family members who are still waiting for their visa numbers to come current. With the exception of immediate relatives of U.S. Citizens, the number of family-sponsored immigrant visas available by country of origin in any given year is limited by statute, resulting in sometimes decades long waits for family members in the Philippines. USCIS Director Leon Rodriguez states, “This Policy will allow certain Filipino American family members awaiting immigrant visa issuance to come to the United States to be with their loved ones. For many, it will also allow them to provide support and care for elderly veterans or their surviving spouses.”
According to USCIS, the FWVP program was established in June 2016 to allow certain Filipino World War II veterans and their U.S. citizen and lawful permanent resident spouses to apply for parole for certain family members. If approved for parole, family members could come to the United States before their immigrant visas became available. Click here for more information.
The USCIS will not accept applications under this policy until June 8, 2016. USCIS strongly encourages eligible individuals interested in requesting parole under the FWVP Program do so within 5 years from June 8, 2016.
Please note the information in this column is not intended as legal advice nor constitutes a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of any legal matter.